Teaching thinking-back-and-forth in practical work: results of an educational design study in secondary education

Background
Practical work provides the unique opportunity for students to make a clear connection between their hands-on activities and the underlying minds-on concepts, but research indicates that these possibilities are used relatively little or unsuccessfully.

Purpose
In this study, lesson design principles for practical work were investigated for stimulating thinking-back-and-forth (TBF) between hands-on and minds-on aspects.

Sample
Eighteen Dutch classes in grades seven to ten in chemistry and physics, totalling 325 students.

Design and method
Nine different practical lessons were designed such that they contained an assignment aimed at stimulating TBF, mitigation of the cognitive load of the hands-on aspects and guidance on TBF throughout the lesson. All these lessons were taught under two conditions, with or without explicit instruction on the content of the TBF-activity. Learner reports of students were evaluated for reported minds-on learning experiences, and the lessons were analysed by means of video recordings.

Results
Results show that the design principles substantially stimulate minds on learning experiences. An effect of explicit instruction on minds-on learning experiences could not be established.

Conclusion
These findings imply that educational practice can benefit from implementing the design principles described.